How To Clean an Iron

We’ve all been there: pressed for time (pun intended), forced to use our iron with a dirty plate, nervous that the precious few minutes we are taking to actually iron out the wrinkles might set us even further behind by the transferring of gunk to the garment, forcing you to choose a completely new outfit altogether. Maybe you haven’t been there, but I’m speaking from experience. Good news: If you’ve got 10 minutes, you’ve got a clean iron!

I so rarely use my iron (I’m a steamer kind of gal) I forget that it needs maintenance. And I hate to admit it, but I probably don’t take the best care of my iron either. One major no-no that I’m guilty of: Forgetting to empty out the reservoir. This causes mineral deposits to build up, and it ain’t pretty. But fear not, all this looks a lot worse and seems like it would take more time than it actually does.

• 2 Tablespoons baking soda
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup distilled water

• Damp cloth
• Spatula
• Cotton swabs or pipecleaner

1. Combine 2 Tablespoons baking soda and 1 Tablespoon water to make a paste.

2. Generously spread the paste onto the iron plate, paying special attention to the areas with mineral deposits or other gunk.

3. After wiping down the iron plate with a damp cloth, use cotton swabs (or pipe cleaners) dipped in distilled water to clean out the steam vents. It’s not a huge deal if you get paste in the vents, you’ll take care of that in the next step!

5. Refill the reservoir with distilled water and turn the iron on it’s highest setting. Flush out any leftover deposits in the vents by steam pressing a clean cloth for a minute or two.

More great tips and tutorials: Cleaning Basics